Rila-Pirin Mountain Trek (Bulgaria), guaranteed departures

Guided Trekking

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A unique mountain hike above the clouds of the highest mountains on The Balkan Peninsula.

During the trek we will visit the highest peak on the Balkans in Rila Mountains (Musala, 2925m a.s.l.) and the giant of Pirin Mountains (Vihren, 2914 m a.s.l.). We will explore enormous national parks, housing vast alpine meadows, stone rivers, glacial lakes, rare vegetation and rich animal life. The biggest Bulgarian monastery (Rila Monastery) and probably the most famous Bulgarian landmark will also be visited as a part of the trip.

Tour Highlights
♦ Rila Mountains are the highest mountains in Bulgaria and on the whole Balkan Peninsula with Mount Musala - 2925 m a.s.l.
♦ Pirin Mountains are the second highest in Bulgaria after Rila Mountains and the third in the Balkan Peninsula (Mount Vihren 2914 m a.s.l.).
♦ Rila Monastery (1147 m a.s.l.) is the most popular tourist site among all monasteries in Bulgaria equally for its size, natural surroundings, architecture, wall paintings and ancient history.

Itinerary:

Day 1. Sofia
Arrival at Sofia airport and transfer to our hotel for overnight.

Day 2. Musala Climb - Govedartsi
Transfer to Borovets (70 km). We take the cablecar to Yastrebetz (2300 m) and we climb the highest peak on the Balkans – Musala (2925 m a.s.l.). The view from the top is truly breath-taking – you can make out the remaining peaks of Rila Mountains; the marble edges of the Pirin Mountains; Mount Vitosha and the Sredna Gora Mountains; the green summits of the Rodopi Mountains; and last, but not least, the long body of the Balkan range. Uphill walk: 650 m (2,132 ft); downhill walk: 650 m (2,132 ft); walking time: about 6 hrs. Transfer to Govedartsi (1150 m a.s.l.), where we stay overnight (40 min. drive from Borovets). B/-/DDay 3. Govedartsi - Maliovitsa resort - Prekorechki Lakes - Govedartsi
Another stunning trek from Maliovitsa resort, going up along the valley to the wide circus of Prekorechki Lakes, enclosed by the steep slopes and rocky walls of several peaks exceeding 2700m. Uphill walk: 850m (2,788 ft); downhill walk: 850m (2,788 ft); walking time: about 6.30 hrs B/-/D
Optional hike for a good day is the climb of the highest peak Maliovitsa. Where we will experience of 360 open scenery of the most Alpine part of Rila mountains. Uphill walk: 1016m (3,094 ft); downhill walk: 1016m (3,094 ft); walking time: about 6.00 hrs B/-/D

Day 4. The Seven Rila Lakes - Rila Monastery - Bansko
Early transfer to Pionerska hut, from where we take the chairlift to the Seven Rila Lakes (above 2200m a.s.l.). Loop hike to Razdela, and the stunning ridge "Zeleni Rid" where we decent back to the Chair lift. We continue with 1 hour a transfer to Rila Monastery - the most famous landmark of Bulgaria. Drive to Bansko for overnight. Uphill walk: 400 m (1320 ft); downhill walk: 400 m (1320 ft); walking time: about 5 hrs. B/-/D
Day 5. Pirin Trek, Bezbog-Tevno Ezero.
This 2-days trek takes us to the most beautiful part of Central Pirin. We start from Bezbog hut and after 4-5 hours walking reach Tevno Ezero hut where we overnight. Uphill walk: 450 m (1470 ft); downhill walk: 150 m (492 ft); walking time: about 6 hrs. B/-/DDay 6. Tevno Ezero - Demyanitsa Hut - Bansko
This day walking offers stunning views over Pirin gletcher lakes - Prevalski, Valiavishki lakes. The trek takes 5-6 hours before we reach the road under Demyanitsa Hut where we meet our vehicle to drive us back to Bansko. Uphill walk: 150 m (4922 ft); downhill walk: 650 m (2,132 ft); walking time: about 6 hrs.B/-/D
Day 7. Bansko – Mount Vihren – Bansko
A fairly difficult ascent to highest peak in Pirin Mountains - Mount Vihren (2914m a.s.l.), awaits us. On our way to the peak we have various opportunities to enjoy most of the Pirin's peaks, Vlahini and Bunderishki glacial lakes as well as Edelweiss and many other rare plants flowering in the Karst parts of the mountains. Uphill walk: 1,000 m (3,280 ft); downhill walk: 1,000 m (3,280 ft); walking time: 6-7 hours. B/-/D

Included in the price: ►6 nights in Standart hotels, 1 night in a hut (shared facilities), 6 dinners (days 2-7), 7 breakfasts (days 2-8) ► all ground transfers► English-speaking guide► lift tickets►private airport transfer on day 1 and group transfer to Sofia (08.30 - 10.00 hrs) on day 8 ► VAT and all local taxes ► Luggage is transferred from point to point except on days 5-6.

Collecting experience in handling active holidays since its establishment in 1989, Penguin Travel has become a leading provider in the fields of hiking, cycling, horseriding and birdwatching tours (for more information please visit our corporate website at http://www.penguin.dk). The company specializes in offering tailor-made solutions and aims to deliver value for money products by combining professional approach with in-depth local knowledge and flexibility.

Apart from offices in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Russia and Bulgaria, Penguin Travel has developed a wide network of experienced suppliers in order to ensure the quality, safety and cost-effectiveness of our tour programmes. Our staff unifies young and very active people with university degrees in biology, geography, tourism etc. who have walked most of the routes and know them in details.

What you browse now is the company's specialized website for self-guided tours, which are some of our main activities. Unlike other agencies we do offer also tours that have been designed and prepared directly by ourselves (e.g. the trips in Bulgaria and Turkey) as we believe that this is the way to diversify the global market rather than only offering the most popular walking holidays (which we can't avoid on the other hand).

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